With just a few autumn leagues around the coast reaching their concluding stages, the home season has all but come to an end. And so the stage is set for the annual show-down for the Eagle Star Champion of Champions event at Howth next weekend.

The Irish Sailing Association has published its list of nominees drawn from the affiliated class associations, plus a committee-selected set of wild card sailors. The former group is a diverse bunch, national champions in the main, though with a few seconds included where title-holders are unavailable.

Distilling the 23 names to a list of likely contenders is next to impossible. However, there will be the inevitable back-markers, obvious even to themselves but quite happy to represent their classes at the event where Ireland's best helms compete for the nominal title of "best sailor in Ireland".

However, among the expected front-runners no outcome can be certain. Top of the list is defending title holder and 470 campaigner for Athens 2004 Gerbil Owens, who faces a tough challenge from a host of seasoned contenders.

Recently-crowned Junior helmsman champion Peter O'Leary of the Royal Cork YC is the rising star of Irish sailing. Building a full-time Olympic campaign in the Laser class is his main focus at present, but he is nominated as Laser national champion.

Multiple Olympian Mark Mansfield is a past winner of the event and, although racing with O'Leary recently at the 1720 European Championships, will be set on adding his name to the silver salver once again.

Dragon national champion Andrew Craig is another sailor on a roll, with three class titles to his credit this season.

Sigma 33 helm Tim Goodbody is a former Admiral's Cup helm and Fastnet Race winner and regularly holds sway over the fleet on Dublin Bay and is typical of the next level of threats to the more confident front-runners that benefit from near full-time racing. Such sailors would distinguish many of the Wild Card entries that will be competing in the Puppeteer fleet.

Olympic racing is the current focus of the sharper end of Irish competitive sailing, so it is no surprise to see Laura Dillon, another former winner of this event, listed.

Also from the wild card list is Imp's Paul Gibbons, of the South Coast Offshore Association.